


Embers

by tangerinabina_de_archanea



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Blow Jobs, Established Relationship, F/M, First Time, First Time Blow Jobs, Fluff and Smut, Sleeping Together, i also love emmeryn exalt of ylisse my lawfully wedded wife, i love a man with a stick up his ass, it's part of his charm uwu, like literally just sleeping, retainer complex is one hell of a drug, shoutout to freddy for having catholic guilt in a world where fantasy catholicism doesn't even exist, still love him anyways tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-18 20:07:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28623816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tangerinabina_de_archanea/pseuds/tangerinabina_de_archanea
Summary: Frederick and Emmeryn spend the night together in secret.It was a soft and slow thing, at first. Frederick’s lips lingered too long when he kissed her hand; Emmeryn’s eyes lingered too long when she watched him leave a room. It was still soft and slow, in many regards, much like the way the embers of a dying fire gradually breathe life and heat into new wood.Written for the Fire Emblem Christmas Rarepair Exchange 2020.
Relationships: Emerina | Emmeryn/Frederick
Comments: 6
Kudos: 11





	Embers

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Nebbles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nebbles/gifts).



> I absolutely loved your gift for the exchange, Nebbles, and I hope you love this one just as much!
> 
> Huge thanks to Looshi for carrying me through the end of this with his big wrinkly brain and never-ending support of my shenanigans <3

It was a soft and slow thing, at first. Frederick’s lips lingered too long when he kissed her hand; Emmeryn’s eyes lingered too long when she watched him leave a room. It was still soft and slow, in many regards, much like the way the embers of a dying fire gradually breathe life and heat into new wood.

No one knew of them, not even Chrom or Lissa, at Frederick’s insistence. Emmeryn understood his reasoning, even if reluctantly, and so when they kissed it was behind closed doors or hidden by the shade of an arbor, and when they exchanged the words “I love you” it was in whispers. Even their private time was restrained, to a certain extent; rarely could Frederick bring himself to fully relax into her steady love, for he knew of how easily this could all end if it came to light. 

When Frederick slipped away to her room that night, he was greeted with a surprised but pleased smile. “I do hope I’m not intruding, Your Grace.”

“You never could.” Quietly, she closed the door behind him, and then she was kissing him, one hand placed delicately on his shoulder and the other clutching the back of his crisp white undershirt. He rarely wore his armor at such late hours, but he had taken special care not to when coming to see her, for she’d once told him how handsome he looked without it. Easily, his hands found her waist, and she leaned into him, deepening the kiss. She’d always been the more bold of the two; in public she masked her feelings as easily as she did the stresses and worries of governing Ylisse, but in private she did little to do so.

“Why should I hide my love?” she’d once asked him, and he had no answer for her.

“I didn’t think you would be able come tonight,” she said when they finally broke apart, but neither went very far; being able to hold each other like this was a rare thing. “But I am glad that you could.”

“As am I,” he smiled, gently tucking a strand of hair loosened by their embrace of moments earlier behind her ear. “It was fortunate that your brother and sister trained so diligently today, else I fear they would not have gone to bed as early as they did.” 

“Ah,” she laughed, a warm, soft sound, “so that is why.” She gave him another kiss, more chaste this time. “I was just about to ready myself for bed. Wait for me a moment, love?” 

“An eternity, if you wished it.”

“Oh, Frederick…” His blunt sincerity, especially when it came to matters of love, could disarm even her, and yet he seemed to be unaware of it; after all, he was only speaking the truth. “I love you.”

“And I you.” Stepping back from her, he finally parted with a kiss to her hand. “I won’t delay you any longer. You need rest.” 

“You won’t be staying?”

She was already behind the changing screen when he came to an answer, shielding his flushing face from her piercing yet gentle eyes. “Do you think it wise?” 

He asked this question every time, even if they had spent nights together before, sleeping in each other’s arms. Anything further was out of the question, at least in Frederick’s mind, and yet it still seemed like a scandal waiting to happen. Damned if they did, damned if they didn’t, it always was, but Frederick did not let himself entertain any further thoughts on that topic.

“I don’t see why not.” One pale hand raised above the screen, her nightgown clutched in it, and then the other, before disappearing again in a flurry of fabric. “You always rise before everyone else. No one will ever know.”

She gave the same response every time, and yet she understood it was what he needed to assuage any worries, at least for the time being, and so she was glad to give it.

“Then I will stay.”

Never one to sit idle, he turned his attention to the fire. The chill that normally permeated the castle at this time of year was largely absent from the room, but that was only for the moment; it was best to err on the side of caution than let the fire go out.

When she emerged from behind the screen, the Exalt was gone, and only Emmeryn remained. It was easier now to believe that they were simply two lovers spending the night together, and nothing more, and yet still harder to forget that she was his liege and he her knight, and nothing more. Her nightgown was of a similar style to her usual dress, but more comfortable and relaxed; it was a reminder of both the woman and the figurehead. “Frederick,” she said, her tone almost reprimanding if not for the love in it, “the fire will be fine.”

“It would not do for you to grow cold in the middle of the night, Your- ...Emmeryn.” Even in private moments such as these, it was difficult for his tongue to shake the formalities, no matter how many times she insisted.

“Your Emmeryn?” she laughed, extending her hands to him and helping him stand. “I like the sound of that.” Her hands were so soft compared to his, roughened by a tight grip on a lance and years of battle in her name. Emmeryn would never want any violence done on her behalf, but when the cry of “For Ylisse!” rose over the battlefield, in his heart, it was for the sake of protecting her, not the halidom. “Are you then my Frederick?”

“Undoubtedly,” he nodded, bending down to kiss her fingers before she pulled him towards the bed. She fell back upon it with a muted sound, the plush, downy blankets cushioning her, and he followed, only one knee crossing over her as he bent down to kiss her, the other foot firmly on the floor. She could scarcely tilt her head up before his lips found her neck, hungry yet restrained, tender yet burning with need. “Thank you,” he murmured.

“For what?”

“For the privilege of being yours,” he murmured against her golden hair, and she laughed, tilting his head up to steal a kiss. 

“You really must stop saying such things,” she teased. “My heart can only withstand so much.”

“Then I am afraid I must be selfish and ask your heart to do so.”

“Perhaps it can manage.” Anything else she had to say was lost in another kiss, firmer, deeper this time, and she welcomed the way he pressed himself against her and the subtle movement of his hips, chasing a pleasure he wouldn’t quite let himself claim. 

And then, as suddenly as he began, he pulled away, leaving her arms reaching for him and her lips wanting. 

“Frederick?” She sat up, confused, as he walked across the room to her vanity. “Is something the matter?”

Clearing his throat before he spoke, he paused in his search of the items laid out across the table. “You were readying yourself for bed, were you not? You need rest. I should not delay you further.”

“The hour is not so late that you need to hurry me off to bed.”

“Perhaps not.” He returned to her, a hairbrush in hand, and sat behind her. “But I will hardly allow myself to be at fault for you getting less sleep than you should.”

“Ever the responsible one,” she smiled as he tenderly drew her hair back behind her shoulders. “I can brush my own hair. You needn’t trouble yourself.”

“I am afraid that I must be selfish and ask that you allow me this favor.”

“A favor?” she laughed. “I would say that you are the one doing me a favor.”

“And yet it is my honor to do it.”

“Hm.” She settled a little closer to him on the bed, and they were silent as he brushed her hair meticulously. It was a comfortable, relaxing silence, punctuated by the crackle of flames and the ticking of the clock, and the smooth sound of the fine bristles gently untangling her hair. “You always do so much for everyone else. You never take time for yourself,” she finally said.

“Neither do you.”

“Mm,” she smiled, “you have me there. But I’d rather discuss you, for the moment.”

With a final stroke, he split her hair down the middle, pushing it forward over her shoulders as she was accustomed to, and bending down to press a kiss on the delicate nape of her neck, on the scars on her shoulder that still filled him with guilt to this day, on the middle of her back where the skin peeked out from beneath fabric. “I’m afraid that you will find that to be a rather boring topic.”

“I don’t think so.” She turned back to him, a look in her eye that he knew was dangerous but couldn’t be persuaded to discourage. “You work too hard, Frederick. You must let someone care for you once in a while.” 

“Must I?”

“I would be greatly gratified if you did. You need to ready yourself for bed as well, don’t you? Let me help.” She kissed him as her fingers deftly undid both his necktie and the buttons of his shirt; he always slept in his underthings, excepting the first time they had shared a bed, when he had insisted in sleeping in his clothes for propriety’s sake, until Emmeryn convinced him that it was perfectly fine to sleep in what he found most comfortable. Always the self-sufficient one, he’d never allowed anyone else to dress, let alone undress him, and yet the gentle way that she helped ease his shirt off his shoulders and the slight brush of her hands against his torso as she went to work on his belt next was oddly comforting and, at the same moment, intoxicating. 

She moved to sit at his side to properly take his pants off, leaving him a kiss on the cheek when they were done. Shaken out of his stupor by the action, he reached for his clothes, but she saw what he was doing and stopped him. “Just relax. Allow me.” Carefully, she started folding his shirt, casually ensuring that his pants were out of reach.

“You…” He inhaled, frustrated. “You should not be folding my clothes. I am the servant, not-”

“None of that tonight,” she scolded him. “I’m happy to do it.”

“But it is not-”

“Hush.” She gave him a kiss to silence him, and even if he was not placated—for he was sitting idly, reclining against decadent pillows, as the Exalt herself was folding his clothes!—he obeyed. Once they were set aside, (and folded exactly as he preferred, he noted), she returned to him, nestling comfortably within the embrace of one arm and kissing him, a hand laid on his chest. He turned to her, embracing her fully as they kissed, yet there was still something stiff in his actions. “You don’t know how to relax, do you?”

“I could say the same about you, Emmeryn.” Even then, there was a slight hesitation before he said her name.

“Turning the conversation again to me? I relax, if only occasionally, but I do.”

“When?” he asked, his tone less interrogating and more one of playful disbelief. “I hardly believe that I’ve ever seen you do so.”

“Right now, to begin with.” She propped herself up on her elbow, tracing little circles against his chest with the tips of her fingers. “And every other time I’ve been with you.”

“Then could the same not be said of me?”

“I don’t think so. Even now, you’re not fully relaxed.”

“A knight must always be ready to perform his duty. It would be unacceptable if I lapsed in that.”

“Frederick, I have no doubt that if there was anything that could harm me, you would leap to my aid, regardless of how relaxed you were. I doubt your reflexes have dulled that greatly.”

“You flatter me, but-”

She cut him off with another kiss. “Please, no more excuses. I want you to enjoy our time together as much as I do. Can’t we just be Frederick and Emmeryn, just for tonight? No titles, no concerns about station and propriety.”

It would be a difficult thing, to forget his station, to forget _her_ station, and yet the idea was appealing. “I cannot promise you that we will be, but I can promise that I will try.”

“Thank you,” she smiled warmly, and leaned in for another kiss, then another, and another. Slowly, she rose further until she was leaning over him, and his hand found the small of her back, not daring to hold her any lower, even if the temptation dragged at his hand and Emmeryn, by all accounts, gave every indication that she wanted him to.

Then her hand found his thigh, almost idly thumbing against the edge where fabric ended and skin began. The common sense in him told him to refuse her, but the rest of him begged for more, more, _more_. He’d spent many years repressing his desires—which was all the more reason to continue, he sternly reminded himself, because he’d made it this far—but then her hand was gone and he felt his skin burning like fire where the ghost of her touch mocked him. “May I do something for you, Frederick? Please?”

There was her voice, so sweet and so kind, begging to take care of _him_ , to pleasure _him_ , when it should be the other way around, but in spite of himself he was nodding and then she was shifting over him to slide down between his legs and her weight against him was all too much and not enough at once.

“Emmeryn,” he gasped when her lips found him through the fabric, the name tumbling from his lips all too readily as soon his undergarments, too, were cast aside, but the thought of folding didn’t even cross his mind as he lay bare before her.

“I love you,” she breathed, laying kisses on his thighs as her hand delicately wrapped around him, but his response was lost when her mouth joined his hand, warm and sweet and eager to please. He had imagined this before, to his shame, but truly, his fantasies were but a shadow of the act itself. Tilting his head back and squeezing his eyes shut, his hand found her hair, both in a caressing and an urging motion, and she was more than happy to oblige. 

It was awkward and sloppy in the beginning, as she struggled to find a rhythm that worked for both of them, and stuttered by hesitations as she watched for his reactions, but once she found one, she settled steadily into it. His hips moved with her, chasing the pleasure she was glad to give and more, before he returned to his senses and stilled them, fighting the base needs that demanded more of her mouth, of her touch, of her.

She pulled away from him, leaving behind a kiss to his tip with half-lidded eyes. “It’s alright, Frederick. You can fuck my mouth if you want to.”

“Milady!” he spluttered, unable to form a response more coherent than that as he flushed bright red. “That… It’s… I should not-”

“I enjoyed it,” she said sweetly, much too sweetly, in fact, for what she was saying, but before he could answer her mouth was on him again and he moaned, low and deep, as his hand clutched her hair. 

They began to move together, Frederick hesitating and Emmeryn encouraging, her hand resting on his hip and his on her head. A litany of half-mumbled phrases fell from his lips, entreaties and professions of love, in between groans of pleasures and gasps for more. She met the sweet sound of his pleasure with moans of her own, soft and muffled around him as she took him in deeply. When he once again stiffened against the sheets she reassured him, a gentle hand caressing the juncture between his thigh and hip until he relaxed again; when she could feel the weight of his realizations bearing down on him again and pulling him away from her, she pressed her head against his hand, encouraging him between spaced breaths with her touch and her kiss. 

When he needed her, she gave him everything she had, and when he needed a moment to breathe, she gave him that too. He could hardly remember the last time anyone had been so attentive to his needs and desires, let alone himself. Caressing her hair, he shifted and thrust upwards in earnest, the bed’s complaint over his movement drowned out by Emmeryn’s pleased sighs. 

All too quickly it seemed to come to an end, as Frederick felt the telltale tightness in the pit of his stomach and the almost unbearable pleasure reach its height. Gently, he tugged on her hair, signalling for her to lift her head, for it absolutely would not do for him to finish in her mouth, let alone do so unprompted. “Emmeryn, I’m-”

It seemed that Sir Frederick had gravely overestimated how long he would last, if the streaks of white on the Exalt’s face had anything to say about it.

There was a silence that lasted only a few seconds, punctuated by a surprised “Oh!” from Emmeryn, but, in Frederick’s horror, felt as if it lasted for an eternity. Before his damned tongue could form the words of an apology, Emmeryn glanced up at him and, seeing the expression on his face, started laughing. “Frederick, it’s alright.”

“Forgive me. I-”

“Frederick,” she smiled, laughing so hard that she forgot to let go of him, but the tinges of overstimulation were nothing compared to the red hot embarrassment and shame that warmed his cheeks, “it’s fine.”

“I apologize. I should have realized sooner that I was… well, going to…” He couldn’t quite bring himself to finish the sentence.

Finally, she did let go of him, both to his relief and disappointment, and climbed up onto his lap to give him a kiss. “There is nothing to fret over,” she told him, punctuating the sentence with another kiss. “I’m not angry. It’s fine.”

“But I-”

“It’s fine, Frederick,” she repeated. “I enjoyed it, even. Perhaps a bit more of a warning would have been better, but...” The rest of the sentence faded into her mirth. “I don’t wish to tease you, Frederick, but your expression when you realized what happened...”

“...you enjoyed it?” He felt ready to faint away. “Milady-! Your-!” His tongue stumbled again, trying to find the right form of address, and then the ridiculousness of it all and her own smile carried him into laughter as well. Between laughs they embraced and kissed, rolling down onto the bed until he was atop her and the levity faded, leaving them behind in the warm afterglow of joy and sex.

“Mm.” She hummed a little as she smiled up at him, her cheeks glowing and her eyes sparkling. Bending down, he kissed her again, more slowly and tenderly this time, noting how he could taste himself on her lips. It was odd, but not unpleasant, and would have been bordering on erotic had he still not been embarrassed about it.

“Allow me to clean you up, at least?”

“Alright,” she nodded, and he quickly fetched a clean handkerchief from the pocket of his pants, now dangerously close to falling off the edge of the bed after all their movements had worried and shifted the sheets. She leaned into his touch as he wiped her face affectionately, turning with the movements of his hand and happily accepting the kiss he gave her when he was done.

“Thank you, Emmeryn,” he said, discarding the now soiled handkerchief, but still finding time to fold it neatly rather than dropping it in a heap. “Truly. I… have not enjoyed myself like that in a very long time.”

“I was happy to do it,” she smiled. “I dare say, you even actually relaxed for a few moments.”

“Ha! I dare say I did.” He gave her another kiss. “Now, milady, I must insist that you allow me to reciprocate. How would you like for me to-?”

“No,” she cut him off, shaking her head. “It is late. We should be resting.”

“But you cannot do such a thing and expect me to not do something for you in return!”

“I did it because I love you, Frederick, not because I want something in return.” She caressed his cheek, lifting her head to give him a quick kiss. “Another time. Is that agreeable to you?”

“Very well,” he sighed, “but you must remember that I love you as well. My motives do not solely lie in repaying a debt.”

“A debt?” she laughed. “Oh, Frederick. Come here.” She embraced him tightly, pulling him so that his face was pressed close to her chest, making him blush again, as she mussed his hair. “We should sleep.”

“Indeed we should.” Reluctantly, he pulled away from her, leaving a final kiss on her hand as he did.

After making quick work of cleaning himself up and retrieving his underthings, he settled in next to her, taking her into a tight but comfortable embrace. “I love you, darling,” she murmured as sleep tugged at her eyes, making his heart skip a beat. The pet name was something so simple yet so endearing, and his heart swelled with love and affection. It meant the world to him, more even than what had just occurred between them.

“And I love you,” he answered, his voice full of fondness. With a tender kiss to her forehead, he allowed sleep to claim him as well, and Castle Ylisstol at long last grew quiet as the shades of night fell over all. 

* * *

In the morning, Frederick woke later than usual, no doubt due to the comfort of both the bed he was in and the company of the peacefully sleeping woman in his arms, but his worries about oversleeping vanished when he saw the fire. No maid had come to tend it, surely, for it had once again returned to embers, just waiting for wood and a steady hand to awaken it again.

**Author's Note:**

> i really think the exalt should be allowed to say fuck. let her say it


End file.
